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"EU states have voted in favour of a proposal to restrict the use of certain pesticides that have been linked to causing serious harm in bees. Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides are sprayed onto seeds and spread throughout the plant as it grows. There has been a lot of concern about this systemic approach, with some scientists arguing that it is comparable to using antibiotics 'prophylactically' - every day of your life (in case you get a sore throat).

Professor Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex and Dr. Lynn Dicks from the University of Cambridge discuss the scientific evidence currently available on these pesticides as well as the limited data available on the population and health of hundreds of other pollinating insect species."

Abstract
The negative effects of a commonly applied systemic insecticide, neonicotinoid, on the honey bee Apis mellifera L. are of great concern worldwide, as the use of the chemical is expanding. Recently, special attention has been paid to the sublethal effects of insecticides. An increasing number of studies has identified sublethal effects on the honey bee in the laboratory or in experimental cages, but so far, few studies have examined sublethal effects in the field. To reveal sublethal effects under field conditions, I examined whether the proportion of successful homing flights by foraging honey bees during 30 min after release decreased after bees were topically exposed to insecticides. Honey bees were treated with two types of neonicotinoid insecticide (clothianidin, Dinotefuran) and two types of previously common insecticide (etofenprox [pyrethroid] and fenitrothion [organophosphate]) at five different doses (one-half, one-fourth, one-tenth, one-twentieth, and one-fortieth of their median lethal dose - LD50).

Then the bees were released 500metres from their hives in the field. The proportions of successful homing flights by bees exposed to neonicotinoids and pyrethroid decreased with doses of one-tenth LD50 (2.18 ng/ head for clothianidin, 7.5 ng/ head for dinotefuran) or more and one-fourth LD50 (32.5 ng/ head for pyrethroid) or more, respectively, whereas bees exposed to organophosphate did not significantly show a response at any sublethal dose though the trend in decline appeared to.

Flight times were not significantly different among treatments at any dose. These results indicate that neonicotinoid and pyrethroid exposure reduced successful homing flights at doses far below the LD50 in the field. Moreover, neonicotinoid caused reductions at relatively lower exposure than pyrethroid.

On Monday, the insecticide and two others were banned for two years from use on some crops across the European Union, due to the risk posed to bees and other pollinators, on which many food crops rely.

However, much tougher action in the form of a total worldwide ban is needed, according to the scientist who led the new study.

"We are risking far too much to combat a few insect pests that might threaten agriculture," said Dr Jeroen van der Sluijs at Utrecht University. "This substance should be phased out internationally as soon as possible."

The pollution was so bad in some places that the ditch water in fields could have been used as an effective pesticide, he said.

Van der Sluijs added that half the 20,000 tonnes of the imidacloprid produced each year is not affected by the EU ban. It is used not to treat crops, but to combat fleas and other pests in cattle, dogs and cats. "All this imidacloprid ends up in surface water," he said.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, found that 70% less invertebrate species were found in water polluted with the insecticide compared to clean water. There were also far fewer individuals of each species in the polluted water.

"This is the first study to show this happens in the field," van der Sluijs said. [B]"As well as killing mayflies, midges and molluscs, the pollution could have a knock-on effect on birds such as swallows that rely on flying insects for food[/B]", he added.

"Bee-harming pesticides are now leaking into water where they are affecting wildlife," said Friends of the Earth's Paul de Zylva. "This study shows safety levels for chemicals are being routinely breached. Apart from not being properly tested for their risk to bees and other wildlife, pesticides are being used significantly above safe levels and without proper enforcement."

"There doesn't appear to be anything hugely surprising in this article. It shows the presence of high levels of insecticide in water can have effects on aquatic insects and other invertebrates. Should we have strong stewardship of insecticides to minimise any contamination of water? Yes we should and yes we do."

The research combined results from wildlife and water pollution surveys at 700 sites across the Netherlands conducted between 1998 and 2009. It found a very strong correlation between high levels of imidacloprid pollution and low numbers of invertebrates. In water exceeding the Dutch national pollution limit, just 17 species were found on average, whereas 50 species were found in cleaner water.

Van der Sluijs said it was highly likely the insecticide was causing the invertebrate die-offs, because imidacloprid was already known to be acutely toxic to these species and is by far the greatest pollutant in the waters."Of all the chemicals, it is one of the prime suspects and when you look at the level of exceedence - often 100 times above national limits - it is suspect number one," he said.

The scientists found several cases of extreme pollution, with imidacloprid levels 25,000 times the limit.

"The field-water contained so much insecticide that it could actually be used directly as a lice-control pesticide," van der Sluijs said. "A bee or bumblebee drinking that water would die within a day."

The extreme cases were all found close to greenhouses, in which imidacloprid is added to the water used to water the plants.

The EU standard for imidacloprid pollution is five times higher than the Dutch limit - 67 nanogram per litre versus 13 ng/l - but even water meeting this standard proved toxic for many species. Water meeting the EU standard has 50% less species that were found in the cleaner water.

Van der Sluijs said the imidacloprid pollution appeared to break existing EU law:

"In my view the present use of imidacloprid is not consistent with what the law says: that the product should not have unnacceptable impacts on non-target organisms."

He blamed the underlying problem on imidacloprid's extreme potency in killing invertebrates and its long persistence in soil and water. He said there was also a "system error" in the way that pesticides are authorised in the EU, which, for example, assesses only their effect in individual crops, not any cumulative impact.

A recent report by MPs on the UK parliament's green watchdog, the environmental audit committee, concluded that the EU approval process for pesticides was flawed and opaque. "The entire pesticide approval process needs an urgent overhaul," said de Zylva.

Henk Tennekes has commented that there is a correlation between the annual use of Imidacloprid and Clothianidin with the geographical occurrence of CCD; I cannot verify this as I am on vacation and only have intermittent laptop use but it would be a nice project for someone to see if there is a geographical correlation.

Re: New Science study links bee-killing neonics to mass death of waterlife

Excerpt: "The authors were not out to determine the causes of species decline, but rather only looked to see whether imidacloprid appeared to have any statistical correlation. The authors make this clear. The point being that since imidacloprid is associated with bulb growing, one would expect to find higher concentrations of it in bulb-growing areas (the southwest of the Netherlands). However, in those same areas one would also expect to see high concentrations of some of the other up to 600 different compounds monitored, including insecticides, herbicides, surfactants, fertilizers, etc. The study did not address the contribution by any of these other compounds. I personally have been involved in stream monitoring in California, and have plenty of experience in seeing streams nearly devoid of aquatic life. No pesticides need be involved--simple exposure to fertilizers or road runoff may be enough."

Re: CCD/Neonicotinoid Data (Studies, Articles, Links)

Excellent PDF/ Powerpoint from Dr Christian Krupke at Purdue University, Indiana - on the issues centred on neonic-treated field crops and their impact on honey bees through multiple routes of pesticide exposure.

Re: Monsanto GMO products contribute to ccd

"The shocking minutes relating to President Putin’s meeting this past week with US Secretary of State John Kerry reveal the Russian leaders “extreme outrage” over the Obama regimes continued protection of global seed and plant bio-genetic giants Syngenta and Monsanto in the face of a growing “bee apocalypse” that the Kremlin warns “will most certainly” lead to world war."

"State agriculture department Director Katy Coba said 85 to 90 percent of the Pacific Northwest's soft white wheat crop is exported to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other nations, where it's used to make noodles and crackers. Oregon's wheat crop is valued at $300 million to $500 million annually, depending on yield and price.

"Clearly there's a concern about market reaction," Coba said. "Japan and Korea jump out. They do not want genetically-engineered food, they do not want genetically-engineered wheat. They could shut off the market to us."

"A 2005 study estimated that the national wheat industry could lose $94 to $272 million annually if GE wheat were introduced, because many markets oppose or prohibit modified crops, according to the Center for Food Safety."

Re: Monsanto GMO products contribute to ccd

"The shocking minutes relating to President Putin’s meeting this past week with US Secretary of State John Kerry reveal the Russian leaders “extreme outrage” over the Obama regimes continued protection of global seed and plant bio-genetic giants Syngenta and Monsanto in the face of a growing “bee apocalypse” that the Kremlin warns “will most certainly” lead to world war."

AHPA Speaks Out Against GM Bees, Calls For More Research On GMO's

"Whereas genetically engineered honeybees could have devastating economic implications to the value and the marketability of honey and honeybee products, and enormous economic costs to the bee industry due to the intellectual property rights laws of genetically engineered organisms (beekeepers may not be able to openly breed their own bees because of royalties to a genetic monopoly), therefore be it resolved that the AHPA goes on record as strongly opposing the testing, development, and release of genetically engineered honeybees."